Cargo-bucket-operating device.



E. E. BISSETT.

CARGO BUCKET OPERATING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. Is, I9I5.

125fi15e Patented May 8, 1917.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR M mm.

UNITED TATE PATENT QFFTQEO ERNEST EUGENE IBISSET'I, 0F VANCOUVER,BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

CARGO-BUCKET-OLPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 191? Application filed October 18, 1915. Serial No.56,509.

be lifted, and the other over the place of deposit, one line beingconnected to the suspension bail of the bucket, and the other to themechanism by which the two halves of the bucket are drawn together toinclose and sustain the load.

Although specifically designed for this object the same device may beutilized for operating the release of any cargo bucket so suspended fromtwo derricks that it may be traversed between them.

In loading and unloading ships by means of cargo buckets manydisadvantages are attendant the use of a laterally swinging derrick, andwherever possible two derrieks are used in the manner described, butheretofore difficulty has been experienced in operating a clam shellbucket without the use of four lines, two for the suspension andtransfer of the bucket, when closed, between the two derricks and twofor the release of the buckets, one of each being taken over the head ofeach derrick.

The difficulty of operating the bucket with two lines only is due to thefact that while the bucket will automatically hang open when suspendedover the heap from which the load is to be lifted, if the other line istightened to close the bucket, the tension on that line draws the buckettoward the other derrick before the closing can be effected; orconversely. if the bucket is suspended closed from the release line overthe place of deposit that line cannot be slackened to eflect the depositof the load without the bucket swinging on the other line back towardthe other derrick.

In the device, which is the subject of this application, this difficultyis overcome by providing a means for holding the bucket in the closedposition while it is being transferred to the place of deposit and forholding it in the open position while transferring it to the place fromwhich the load is to be lifted.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification,reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, inwhich:

Figure 1 shows the bucket as suspended over the heap from which the loadis to be lifted, the dot and dash lines indicating the movement by whichthe closing of the bucket is effected, and

Fig. 2, its position over the place of deposit, the dot and dash linesindicating the action of the device by which release of the closingmeans is effected.

In these drawings 2 represents each half of a clam shell bucket, eachouter corner of which is pivotally connected at 3 by a suspension rod eto a suspension block 5.

To this suspension block 5 a line 6 is connected over the head of aderrick whose point of suspension 6*, which is immediately over theplace of deposit 7, to the drum of the winch by which that line isoperated.

The bucket operating line 8 passes from a separate winch over the headof another derrick, whose point of suspension 8 is over the place 9 fromwhich the load is to be lifted, and the line passes through thesuspension block 5, thence down around the pulley 10 on the spindle 10,up around the pulley 5 in the block 5, down around 10 and back up to theblock 5 to which it is connected at 5*, so that as tension is imposed onthat line 8 the bucket will be closed and if the line is relaxed thebuckets will of their own weight fall open.

Without further provision, if the bucket is hanging on the line 6 fromthe derrick over the place'of deposit 7 and the line 8 is slack, the twohalves of the bucket will fall open of their own weight, and ifsuspended on the line 8 from the other derrick over the place from whichthe load is to be lifted and the line 6 is slack, the bucket will. hangclosed.

The device, which is the subject of this application, is designed toenable the bucket to hang open not only when it is hanging on the line 6over the place of deposit 7, where it must be open to drop its load, butover the place 9 from which the load is to be lifted to enable it toinclose a load; and when the bucket is closed on its load, which is itsnatural position when a hanging over the place 9 from which the load isto be lifted on the line 8, it must remain closed while beingtransferred to the place of deposit, and where the closing means beingrelaxed it will naturally fall open to deposit its load.

These objects are attained by passing both lines 6 and 8 beforeconnection to the bucket through a linking block 11' having two smallroller sheaves over which the lines may run freely. This linking blockis not secured to either line. It merely brings the lines together andfrom it they run alongside one another to their connection to thebucket. Between this linking block 11 and connection to the lines 6 and8 to the bucket a tumbling rod 16 is pivotally connected at 14; and 15to each line. I

. This tumbling rod 16 will naturally tend to hang from the line whicheffected the change in the condition of the bucket, that is, the end 1 1of the rod, which is connected to the line 6, will be uppermost when thebucket has been opened to deposit its load and the end 15 connected tothe line 8 will be uppermost when the bucket is hanging from the line 8which has just effected the closing of the bucket. If the rod 16 is maintained in its position alongside the line which effected the change inthe condition of the bucket, the bucket may be suspended from eitherline but any tension on the line to which the lower end of the tumblingrod is connected cannot be communicated by that line to the bucket butwill pass endwise through the rod to the other line.

To retain the tumbling rod 16 alongside the line which effected thechange in the condition of the bucket, a shackle 17 is endwise movablealong the tumbling rod 16 and is pin-connected at 20 to shackles 18 and19 movable along the suspension lines 6 and 8, below the connection ofthe tumbling rod thereto, and these shackles may have small rollerwheels mounted on them to facilitate movement along the lines wheninversion of the rod is required. 7

The end 14:, which is connected to the line 6, suspension from whichline effects the opening of the bucket, being uppermost, the shackles17, 18, 19 will be at the end 1 1 of the rod 16 and will hold that endof the rod alongside the taut line 6, so that the bucket may besuspended from either line 6 or 8 without effecting any change in thecondition of the bucket to close it, so long as any tension ismaintained on the line 6; but if the line 6 is slackened, the tumblingrod 16 will invert, that is, the end 14: will fall below the end 15 andthe weight of the bucket will be sustained entirely by the line 8 andthe bucket will therefore be closed,

and the shackles 17 18, 19, will accommodate themselves to the inversionof the rod and will fall to the lower end 14 of it to retain italongside the line 8, in which position the weight of the bucket may besuspended from either line 6 or 8 without change in the closedpositionof the bucket, so long as any tension is maintained on the line 8, butslacking of the line 8 will again permit the tumbling rod to invert andthe weight of the bucket will be imposed on the line 6 and will fallopen.

It must be noted that the bucket after having been opened to deposit itsload is sus pended mainly from the line 6 and that it requires to betransferred in that open position to the place from which the load istobe lifted, where the weight of the bucket is mainly suspended on theline 8 and would be closed but for the action of the tumbling rod whichprevents that closing tension of the line 8 being transmitted to thebucket closing mechanism; but the closing can be efiected by slackingthe line 6 and permitting the tumbling rod 16 to invert. Conversely, theclosed bucket may be transferred to the place of deposit where again thegreater tension being on the line 6 the bucket would na-tuthe weight ofthe bucket and its load being then maintained entirely on the line 8 thebucket will fall open to deposit its load.

The bucket having dropped its load is transferred to the place ofloading, by wind ing in the line 8 and paying out correspondingly theline 6 without allowing that line 6 to be slack. On reaching the heapfrom which the load is to be lifted the open bucket is lowered upon theheap and the line 6 is slackened, the tumbling rod 16 again inverts, andas the line 8 is wound in the bucket is first closed to inclose its loadfrom the heap and thereafter is lifted and swung across to the place ofdeposit by winding in the line 6 and paying out the line 8 withoutallowing the line 8 to be slack until the bucket arrives at the place ofdeposit when on slackening out the line 8 the tumbling rod again invertsand the bucket falls open to deposit the load.

By this simple and inexpensive provision a clam shell bucket may beoperated by two lines between the heads of two derricks, one over theplace of loading and the other over the place of deposit, and the samerequires the use of no further attendance than that of the man operatingthe winches.

Although speci cally designed for the operation of a cargo bucket of theclam shell class, the same device may be modified to operate an ordinarygravity-tilting cargo bucket, the inversion of a short tumbling rod 16serving to effect release of the bucket. Transference and deposit of theload being effected by the operation of the hoisting lines alone theattendance of a man to release the tumbling latch is saved.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare thatwhat I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. The combination with a cargo bucket, means for suspending twohoisting lines at different points of location, the first point oflocation being over the place from which the load is to be lifted andthe other over the place at which the load is to be discharged, saidbucket comprising a suspension block, and bucket elements suspendedtherefrom and adapted to open and close, one of said hoisting linesbeing connected directly to said suspension block, the other of saidhoisting lines cooperating with the bucket elements for opening andclosing the same, and a device connecting said hoisting lines adjacentto the bucket whereby when said device is in one position, the bucketwill hang closed beneath one of said points of suspension, and when saiddevice is in another position said bucket will hang open beneath theother of said points of suspension, said device being operable byslacking one or the other of said hoisting lines according to thelocation of the bucket.

2. The combination with a cargo bucket, two hoisting lines, onesuspended over the place from which the load is to be lifted and theother suspended over the place at which the load is to be deposited,means operative by the hoisting lines for sustaining the bucket in theopen position over the place from which the load is to be lifted and forsustaining it in the closed position over the place of deposit,comprising a link for holding the lines substantially parallel to oneanother adjacent to their place of connection to the bucket, and atumbling rod one end of which is pivotally connected Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

to each line between said link and the bucket, and releasable means forholding the lower end of the tumbling rod adjacent the lines.

3. The combination with a cargo bucket, two hoisting lines and means forsuspending said lines at two difierent locations, a linking blockthrough which both lines pass before being connected to the bucket, atumbling lever, one end of which is connected to each line between thelinking block and the places of connection of the lines with the bucket,and movable means on both lines and on the tumbling rod, for holding thelower end of the lever adjacent to said lines.

4. The combination with a clam shell bucket, of two hoisting lines forsuspending said bucket, means over the place where the load is to belifted for sustaining one of said lines and means over the device wherethe load is to be deposited for sustaining the other of said lines, alinking block through which both lines are freely movable, a tumblingrod, one end of which is pivotally connected to each line between thelinking block and the bucket, and connecting linking shackles endwisemovable on the tumbling rod and on the lines for connecting the lowerend of the tumbling rod to said lines.

5. The combination with a cargo bucket, two hoisting lines from whichsaid bucket is suspended, means for suspending one of said lines at oneplace and the other of said lines at another place. means whereby thebucket may be sustained over the place from which the load is to belifted on one line and on a part of the other line and for sustainingthe bucket over the place of deposit on the other line and on a part ofthe first line, and means operated by the hoisting lines fortransferring the weight of the bucket from one line to the other in eachcase.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERNEST EUGENE BISSETT.

Washington, D. G.

